MASON – FC Cincinnati has progressed immensely over the course of its existence, and especially since being granted an MLS expansion bid in May 2018, but there's still much to be accomplished.

That was the main takeaway from team President and General Manager Jeff Berding's Tuesday 'state of the team' speech at the Cincinnati Marriott Northeast.

Berding's sweeping 32-minute address touched on and recapped progress in nearly every corner of the organization. It preceded the club's Thursday departure for Seattle where it will on Saturday take to the field at CenturyLink Stadium for its first-ever MLS regular-season match.

Berding painted a picture of exponential growth that seemingly touched every pocket of the team, from the club's progress toward construction on its West End stadium to on-field performance for the MLS first team.

Berding's most striking comments came during his assessment of the club's on-field performance in the second half of his two-part speech.

The first portion concerned business and various internal matters.

Berding expressed contentment with the dealings FC Cincinnati made in the offseason to bolster its MLS squad.

He at one point noted defender Alvas Powell is a sought-after player other organizations continue to call FC Cincinnati about.

Berding described the group of players for 2019 is a gritty assortment of individuals with diverse backgrounds and motivations for joining the FC Cincinnati project.

"We're trying to be smart and analytical in terms of our roster decisions. We have analytics in terms of where we should be investing dollars in our analytic model of our players," Berding said. "At the end of the day, working with (head coach Alan Koch) and the players that he values and the system that he wants to play, but we know that right now we're building the foundation.

"If you think about where we were in USL in year one, it was about building the foundation. We made some pretty significant changes after year one and put ourselves in a position to be more successful, of course, with the Open Cup run. By year three, we had things pretty figured out... and we're going to be building the foundation here in the next two years in advance of moving into our West End stadium."

There was mention of hometown and Lakota West product Nick Hagglund, too. Berding noted how special it was to have at least one native Cincinnatian rostered, which could partly explain why the club paid such a hefty price for the projected starting center back.

Berding also addressed the club's preseason activities, during which the club didn't play up to the standard he expected.

Berding said the club has room in its first-team budget to make additional roster acquisitions ahead of the May 12 deadline.

He also hinted that further moves would be coming this week ahead of the Friday deadline to by compliant with MLS roster rules. One of those moves could be a loan deal for MLS SuperDraft pick Rashawn Dally, who said during an interview with The Enquirer that was part of the plan for his development.

The growth of FC Cincinnati as a business
FC Cincinnati gained attention locally and nationally in 2016 for being a rising power on the American soccer landscape despite its roots as a relatively small business.

What was once a $10 or $15 million enterprise now operates on a scale that, including infrastructure projects and other requirements, is somewhere in the neighborhood of a $400 to $500 million franchise, Berding said.

"It's certainly been an enormous effort. We have a diverse ownership group that really enjoys this project," Berding said. "They understand that they are creating a true legacy with a generational impact that really only happens once in a lifetime."

Money isn't the only marker of FC Cincinnati's growth.

Berding said the club's staff more than doubled in recent months. What was once projected to be a club staff around 60 employees has ballooned to 75 workers across all departments.

That includes the January addition of Chief Operating Officer Dennis Carroll, formerly of the Philadelphia Union organization.

Significant hires were made elsewhere, including in the media and communications sector where Berding said that staff is outperforming larger-market clubs.

Berding highlighted the growth of the ticketing department which, under the leadership of Vice President of Ticket Sales and Services Jeff Smith, is expected to become the third-ever MLS expansion team to reach 20,000 season-ticket holders.

Seattle Sounders FC and Atlanta United FC accomplished that previously.

FC Cincinnati was born around kitchen tables and coffee shops on the east side but is now working out of three separate facilities.

Most of the club's employees hub out of the team offices Downtown where it will soon occupy all five floors of the building at 14 E. 4th St.

The Mercy Health Training Complex training center in Milford is already operational as construction continues there, and the team will play its MLS matches in the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium.

That doesn't even account for the West End stadium, which will see a "topping out" ceremony in the first quarter of 2020.

Streaming matches
In 2019, FC Cincinnati matches will be carried on TV by Star-64 and the club on Tuesday announced it had reached a deal to make WDJO its flagship radio carrier.

Streaming matches online, which has been a topic of much conversation around MLS this offseason, might also soon be available locally, Berding hinted.

"We have a new agreement that we'll be announcing here with a prominent national streaming partner that's making a significant investment into our club," Berding said.

Further details weren't immediately available.

NWSL to Cincy?
Berding directly addressed the possibility of bringing the National Women's Soccer League, a growing and, in some cities, thriving brand, to Cincinnati.

He indicated the club was interested, but further NWSL expansion would have to work on a timeline that started at or around the time FC Cincinnati moves to its West End stadium.

CLOSE

FC Cincinnati President and GM Jeff Berding and Majority Owner Carl Lindner III discussed the process that led to the unveiling of FC Cincinnati's first-ever MLS jersey Monday night at Music Hall in Over-the-Rhine.
Pat Brennan, The Enquirer/Pat Brennan

FC Cincinnati media day
Berding's speech continued a day's worth of FC Cincinnati media activities, including an open training session at the Mercy Health Training Center and player and coach interviews following Berding's speech.

The Enquirer spoke with each current member of the team, and photographed them, too.

The day ended with an evening press conference for Koch.

Knifey Lion G
FC Cincinnati has a mascot for the first time. "Gary," a winged lion, made an appearance late in Berding's speech.